Broadcast seeder



v. SWANPELD'I'.

BROADCAST SBBDBR.

Patented July 22, 1890'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR SIVANFELDT, OF CLARENCE, ILLINOIS.

BROADCAST SEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,648, dated July 22, 1890.

7 Application filed May 3, 1890. Serial No. 350.457- (N0 model.)

To all. whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Vrcron SWANFELDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarence, in the county of Ford and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Broadcast Seeder, of which the following is a specifloat-ion.

This invention relates to broadcast seeders, and it has for its object to provide a machine of this class which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability, and general efficiency.

IVit-h these ends in view the invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a broadcast seedingnnachine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2 at right angles to the shaft of the feed-roller. Fig.4 is a perspective detail view of the regulating-slide.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

v1 designates the hopper, which is mounted upon a bracket 2, extending horizontally from a base-board 3, to which it may be secured in any suitable manner. The lower part of the hopper is provided with bearings for a shaft 4, carrying a feed-roller 5, which is fitted between the sides of the hopper and which is provided with flutes or corrugations 6 6, extending through its entire length. The lower part of the hopper inwhichthe said fluted roller is mounted forms a casing, and the said fluted roller is arranged eccentrieally in said casing, so as to bear against the frontwall of the casing, while a space is leftbetween the bottom and front wall of the easing and the roller, as will be seen at 7. The rear wall of the casing is provided with a slot 8 for the discharge of the seed. The upper part of the hopper is separated from the lower part or casing by means of a slide 9, which may be adjusted so as to permit any desired quantity of seed to pass into said casing to be distributed by the seeding mechanism. Slide 9 is provided at its inner end with a downwardly-extending curved arm 9, that curves around the fluted roller and serves as a cut-off. One end of the shaft 4, which projects through the end wall of the casing, carries a sprocket-wheel 10.

Suitably mounted upon the bracket 2, in rear of the hopper and directly under the transverse slot 8, is a box 11.

12 designates a partition which is pivoted about centrally in the said box, and which is provided near its upper end with an arm 13, extending through a segmental slot 14 in the rear wall of the box, which said slot is concentric with the pivoting-point of the plate 12. The arm or pin 13 is screw-threaded and provided with a thu mb-nut 15, which may be tightened to secure the partition-plate 12 at any desired adjustment. The bottom of the box ll is perforated or provided with openings for the escape of the seed.

A pair of brackets 16, which are secured to and extend rearwardly from the baseboard 3, are provided with bearings for a shaft 17, which carries a sprocket-wheel 18, which is connected by a chain 19 with the sprocket-wheel 10 upon the shaft 4. J ournaled loosely upon the outer end of the shaft 17 is a sprocket-wheel 20, the inner side of which is formed with a clutch member 21, adapted to engage a clutclrcollar 22, which is mounted slidingly upon the adjacent squared portion of the shaft 17. The clutch-collar 22 is provided with an annular groove 23, engaging a lever 24, by means of which it may be actuated to place it into orout of engagement with the clutch member formed upon the sprocket-wheel 20.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood. Motion may be transmitted to the. shaft 17 and from thence .to the seeding mechanism in any suitable manner-forinstance, from one of the wheels of a wagon, upon the end-gate of which the device may be mounted for operation. The

slide 9, which is to be suitably graduated so as to indicate the quantity of seed permitted to pass from the upper compartment of the hopper into the roller-casing, is set at the proper point, and may, when desired, be secured by means of aset-screw. As the roller 5 rotates,it will carry the seed and deposit it in the box 11, from which it is dropped upon the ground. The partition-plate 12 may be set so as to insure the delivery of equal quantities of seed into the two compartments of the box.

My improved machine, as will be seen from the foregoing description, is exceedingly simple in construction, and may be manufactured at a small expense. V It is very easily operated, and it may be successfully used for planting all kinds of seed, even when it is very impure or mixed with bits of straw and the like.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a broadcast seeder, the combination of the hopper, the casing formed in the lower part of the same and having a transverse slot in its rear side, the fluted or corrugated roller mounted eccentrieally in said casing in contact with the rear wall of the same, the graduated slide mounted in the hopper and separating the upper part of the same from the lower part of casing, and suitable operating mechanism, substantially as set forth.

2. In a broadcast seeding-machine, the combination of the hopper having a casing formed in the lower part thereof and provided with a slot or discharge-opening, the fluted or corrugated roller journalcd in said casing in contact with the rear wall thereof, the regulatingslide mounted in the hopper, the box mounted in the rear of said hopper below the slotordischarge-opening, the partition-board mounted pivotally in said box, and suitable operating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. Inabroadeast seeding-machine, the combination, with the seeding mechanism, of the distributer-box mounted under the dischargeopening of the hopper and having openings in the bottom thereof, the partition-board mounted pivotally in said box and having an arm extending through a segmental slot in the rear wall thereof, and a thumb-nut mounted upon the said arm, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the hopper-casing, the fluted roller, and the regulating-slide having a curved arm at its inner end curved around said roller and forming a cut-off, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the hopper-casing, the fluted roller, the regulating-slide having the curved arm or cut-off, the box mounted in rear of the hopper-casingandhaving openings in its bottom, and the pivoted partitionboard mounted in said box, substantially as described.

(5. In abroadcast seeding-machine, the combination of the base-boartha bracket extending rearwardly from the same, the hopper mounted upon the said bracket and having a casingorcompartmentinits lowerpart,the eorrugated roller j ournaled eceentrically in said compartment, the distributer box mounted upon the bracket under the discharge-opening of the hopper and having openings in the bottom thereof, the partition-board mounted pivotally in said box, the brackets extending rearward from the base-board and having a shaft carrying a sprocket-wheel, a chain connecting the latter with a spocket-wheel upon the shaft of the corrugated roller, and suitable operating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR SWANFELDT. \Vitnesses:

JOHN PETERSON, JOHN B. KIRKPATRICK. 

